iOS

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App developer, FeiYingInfo today snuck through Monino, what is quite possibly the most blatant example of copyright infringement that you’re likely to see any time soon. Although Monino appears at first glance to be a genuine Nintendo game, featuring everyone’s favorite Italian plumber, it is in reality just a poor imitation of the beloved classic that we all grew up with as kids. Monino did, however, manage to reach number six on the list of top-selling paid apps in the App Store, before being pulled a few hours later. Not bad for a blatant rip-off with poor game play mechanics.

But really, who wouldn’t want to play Mario on their iPhone? Everyone except Nintendo, that’s who. The fact that this game was approved at all is almost as amazing as the game itself. Whoever was responsible for approving this app obviously hasn’t played a video game in the last twenty years.

The graphics in Monino look almost exactly the same as early Super Mario games, as does the sound effects and music. But, that’s where the similarities end. The game play is said to be quite awful and fails to capture the charm of the original title. Many App Store users only gave the game one star, with some wanting a refund of their $.99.

Along with poor game play mechanics, the app also lacks that certain attention to detail that Nintendo is known for. The Goombas look terrible and Monino’s fireballs appear to be simple red circles. The game may look like Mario, but it doesn’t play like Mario.

Hopefully, Nintendo will one day embrace Apple’s iOS and grace the system with their iconic plumber mascot. It will probably be a cold day in hell before this occurs, but stranger things have happened. With the demise of Sega consoles, their biggest mascot, Sonic has made the transition to just about every platform available today. Nintendo currently sees Apple as one of their biggest threats so I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting Mario games to arrive just yet. If you really want to see Mario and pals on your iPhone, simply Jailbreak your iDevice and install one of the many emulator apps readily available. Then you can play Mario to your heart content, just keep an eye out for Nintendo.